Ryan Graves #25 Dobber D prospect - Nov '16 got info??

[lucafen4]

Is he a late bloomer in a similar mold as Parayko last year, big body, big shot?

I admittedly know little to nothing about him and am wondering what anyone can tell me.

One thing I noticed on the prospect pages, Dobber has him listed as #25 for D prospects, but he isn't listed within the Rangers top 10 prospects. I think my assumption that the team prospects are not updated near as often as the monthly lists is probably the reason why. Curious where he fits in there and what his upside is if he untaps the untapped offensive potential.

[Axeman33]

I got to see him play live a few times a couple years ago when he played for the Charlottetown Islanders. He's a big kid and a solid Dman but I dont see much offense from him as far as upside goes. More of a solid shutdown type guy who has marginal offensive upside.

[lucafen4]

I got to see him play live a few times a couple years ago when he played for the Charlottetown Islanders. He's a big kid and a solid Dman but I dont see much offense from him as far as upside goes. More of a solid shutdown type guy who has marginal offensive upside.

Even more curious as to his inclusion on the top 50 fantasy D prospects

[Potatoeman]

Even more curious as to his inclusion on the top 50 fantasy D prospects

Here's what Dobber had to say about him in the prospects guide, it explains his rank a bit :

"Originally thought to be a stay-at-home defenseman, Graves has leapt firmly onto the fantasy radar after winning the AHL All-Star Game hardest shot contest (103.4 mph). Couple that with the fact that he ended his junior career with 39 points in 50 games plus five points in five games in the Memorial Cup, and there is clearly so much more to this guy. The 6-4, 227pound beast is already earmarked for an NHL job, but this new weapon opens up a wealth of possibilities. In his rookie-pro season he scored nine goals and fired 150 shots on goal. Moving up quickly. "

[donpaulo]

His skating and positioning have improved significantly to the point where the Wolfpack play him in all situations. He is also shooting the puck more often which is clearly showing in the assist totals. In fact at this pace he will surpass his last season assist total in a few more games.

He looked quite good during the preseason, was sent down for more seasoning because NY is knee deep in established NHL defensemen. They already have promising rookie Skjei on the club who is in the running for the Calder, plus Clendening as the #7. So it made sense to give the kid huge minutes in the AHL and continue to improve.

Most NY players have improved their skating ability over the last few seasons and Graves is part of the effort in that area.

The issue is the logjam of players on the big club.

Holden, who hasn't looked too shabby and Klein are both locked up for another season as is the aforementioned Skjei. So for Graves to make an impact he needs a trade or injury and even then AV will probably go with Clendening who has been a healthy scratch for most of the season. Its a good problem for Jeff Gorton to have, but somewhat vexing for Graves supporters who would love to see if he can make the jump to the show sooner rather than later.

[Sulla]

Remember that the ranking is also based on opportunity and though I agree with DP and the Rangers D I would argue that most guys after him are even more buried... When using the rankings it's always worth considering opportunity because hot rookies forst making the step up are always worth selling high on as there is usually b) regression c) up and downs - look at guys like Guentzel, DeAngelo, Ek, Chychyryn this season.

[lucafen4]

His skating and positioning have improved significantly to the point where the Wolfpack play him in all situations. He is also shooting the puck more often which is clearly showing in the assist totals. In fact at this pace he will surpass his last season assist total in a few more games.

He looked quite good during the preseason, was sent down for more seasoning because NY is knee deep in established NHL defensemen. They already have promising rookie Skjei on the club who is in the running for the Calder, plus Clendening as the #7. So it made sense to give the kid huge minutes in the AHL and continue to improve.

Most NY players have improved their skating ability over the last few seasons and Graves is part of the effort in that area.

The issue is the logjam of players on the big club.

Holden, who hasn't looked too shabby and Klein are both locked up for another season as is the aforementioned Skjei. So for Graves to make an impact he needs a trade or injury and even then AV will probably go with Clendening who has been a healthy scratch for most of the season. Its a good problem for Jeff Gorton to have, but somewhat vexing for Graves supporters who would love to see if he can make the jump to the show sooner rather than later.

I don't look at Klein, Skjei, Clendenning the same as I do Lindholm, Theodore, Vatanen in Anaheim. It's an easier path to push your way through than other players have in as in the aforementioned Anaheim or St. Louis.

I see NYR as a place where if there's an injury and he gets called up and has a Parayko like performance, there's more room to scratch someone to give him playing time.

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I don't look at Klein, Skjei, Clendenning the same as I do Lindholm, Theodore, Vatanen in Anaheim. It's an easier path to push your way through than other players have in as in the aforementioned Anaheim or St. Louis.

I see NYR as a place where if there's an injury and he gets called up and has a Parayko like performance, there's more room to scratch someone to give him playing time.

These players are all rostered, 25 man prospect rosters. I'm always looking for the diamond in the rough. Graves with his size and ranking, not recognizing his name really made me pause.